Following Megyn Kelly’s controversial tenure at NBC, the television host has formally parted ways with the network and will receive the rest of her $69 million contract.
According to CNN, Kelly’s departure from NBC was announced Friday evening, ending a tense and lengthy exit that was put in motion after Kelly made comments about how it was acceptable to incorporate blackface in a Halloween costume during her 9 a.m. talk show.
Megyn Kelly finalizes NBC exit, will get remainder of $69M deal https://t.co/8fb8WkWhkt pic.twitter.com/5CeQIOqYLG
— Page Six (@PageSix) January 12, 2019
The talk show host brought up the topic of blackface during a round-table discussion a week before Halloween with an all-white panel about offensive costumes.
Kelly defended a white reality star who had dressed up as singer Diana Ross.
“But what is racist?” she said during the round-table discussion. “You do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface in Halloween or a black person who puts on white face for Halloween. Like, back when I was a kid, that was OK as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character.”
In defense of the reality star, Kelly said, “I felt like, who doesn’t love Diana Ross? She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day, and I don’t know how that got racist on Halloween.”
Despite Kelly’s apology for her comments the following day on the show, the daytime talk show was cancelled following her comments, ABC News reports.
NBC announced Kelly’s departure from the network late Friday with a brief statement.
“The parties have resolved their differences, and Megyn Kelly is no longer an employee of NBC,” a spokesman said.
NBC News reported that Kelly will leave the network with the remainder of her three-year, $69 million deal — about $30 million.
Kelly, a former Fox News host, had joined NBC in 2017 where she was to host a daytime talk show, a Sunday night news show and be featured in political coverage on NBC’s news programs, ABC News reports. But the talk show host struggled to attract viewers.
According to CNN, Kelly will be subject to an industry standard nondisparagement clause, meaning that she will be limited in what she can say about her time at NBC and the executives that she worked with. Kelly is not believed to be subject to any non-compete clause, however, which means that she can join any network at any time.
When asked “will we see you on TV this year” by celebrity photographers on the street in New York City on Thursday, Kelly responded, “You will definitely see me back on.”